Diode-like asymmetric transmission of circularly polarized waves

Optical diode plays an important role in optical computing and information processing. In this paper, a kind of three-layered chiral metamaterial is proposed to achieve diode-like asymmetric transmission for forward and backward propagations of circularly polarized electromagnetic waves only. The metamaterial is composed of a ring–chain structure sandwiched between two identical S-shaped metallic layers with their corresponding substrates. A transparent transmission at normal incidence in one direction and a small intensity of transmission in the opposite direction are numerically demonstrated in this chiral structure. Besides, the results reveal that the bandwidth of the cross-polarization transmission of this designed structure can be tuned by varying the incident angle of circularly polarized waves.     

Metamaterial composed of wire pairs exhibiting dual band negative refraction

The design of the metamaterial that can exhibit negative refraction at two frequency bands is presented. The components of this metamaterial are cut wire pairs and continuous wires. The cut wire pairs structure in our sample can achieve the magnetic resonance at two frequency bands by appropriately designing the cut wire dimension. Through numerical simulation, the transmission property of the proposed dual band negative index metamaterial is investigated and its result shows that with the introduction of continuous wires, the stop bands for cut wire pairs (permeability μ<0) and the frequency band for continuous wires (permittivity ε<0) components would overlap and lead to the appearance of pass bands near the two magnetic resonance frequency bands. Its electromagnetic properties are then retrieved to demonstrate that the dual band left-hand behavior can be obtained in our sample structure. It is believed that our approach will be effective to make this kind of dual band negative refractive metamaterial based on the multiple magnetic resonances work at optical frequency.     

一种基于超材料的宽带、反射型90°极化旋转体设计

根据各向异性媒质理论, 设计了一种宽带、反射型超材料极化旋转体, 能够将线极化波极化方向旋转90°, 极化转化率大于90%的工作带宽为5.5–14.5 GHz. 该极化旋转体由两层介质板、金属双开口谐振环和金属底板周期排列构成, 具有各向异性的特点, 单元两对角线方向的电场分量反射系数相同, 反射相位相差180°, 导致其极化旋转特性. 利用表面电流分布图, 分析不同极化波入射时该极化旋转体的谐振状态, 实验和仿真结果符合较好. 该极化旋转体在新型天线设计和隐身技术等方面具有广阔的应用前景.     

An ultrathin transparent metamaterial polarization transformer based on a twist-split-ring resonator

In this paper, an ultrathin transparent metamaterial polarization transformer using a circular twist-split-ring resonator (TSRR) was proposed and investigated experimentally and numerically. The experimental and simulated results exhibit an asymmetric transmission only for forward and backward propagating linearly polarized waves. An incident linearly polarized wave can convert its polarization nearly completely to the cross direction after transmission under certain conditions. The simulated spatial evolution of the electric field further indicates that the twist structure functions as a perfect polarization transformer at certain frequencies.     

基于双梯形金属条的二维超材料性能分析

提出了一种基于平行金属条和细金属线的双梯形二维超材料结构单元.该结构由介质板以及其两侧放置的一对反向对称梯形金属条组成.与传统二维超材料相比,该结构在电磁波平行入射时具有双左手频带特性,在电磁波双向入射情况下具有良好的左手频带拓展性,且结构易于制备.利用电磁仿真软件分别模拟电磁波垂直入射和平行入射条件下该结构的电磁性能.结果表明:该结构在两种入射情况下均能实现双负特性;梯形上底每增大0.5mm,双入射情况下结构的双负特性分别向高频移动0.2GHz和0.4GHz.该研究对基于平行金属条的左手材料的研究以及二维左手材料的发展具有参考价值.     

Circular polarization converters based on bi-layered asymmetrical split ring metamaterials

In this paper, a kind of bi-layered asymmetrical split ring metamaterial was proposed as a circular polarization converter. Simulations and experiments at the microwave regime showed that the proposed structures can achieve the conversions from right-handed circularly polarized electromagnetic waves to left-handed ones and the reversed conversions in the opposite propagating direction. The linear to circular polarization transmission coefficients and the surface currents were investigated to understand the mechanism of the circular polarization conversions. Moreover, we optimized the proposed metamaterials by increasing the distance between the two metal layers. The proposed circular polarization converters have applications in microwave wave plates and metamaterial antennas.     

Coupled-mode analysis for linear fiber Bragg grating made of metamaterial

We derive the coupled-mode equations for a metamaterial fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). The coupled-mode theory describing wave propagation in periodic structures such as FBG is generalized for studying the transmission and reflection of electromagnetic waves through a FBG containing metamaterial layers. This approach shows that the band gap becomes broader in comparison with a conventional FBG. It is observed that the central frequency of the band gap has a shift in regard of changing metamaterial thickness. We verify this investigation through attaining the transmission and reflection spectra of a conventional FBG while we are setting related parameters. Furthermore, this proposed structure can be applied as a tunable filter.     

Dynamically controlled asymmetric transmission of linearly polarized waves in VO2-integrated Dirac semimetal metamaterials

We numerically demonstrated a novel chiral metamaterial to achieve broadband asymmetric transmission (AT) of linearly polarized electromagnetic waves in terahertz (THz) band. The proposed metamaterial unit cell exhibits no rotational symmetry with vanadium dioxide (VO$_{2}$) inclusion embedded between Dirac semimetals (DSMs) pattern. The resonant frequency of AT can be dynamically tunable by varying the Fermi energy ($E_{\rm F}$) of the DSMs. The insulator-to-metal phase transition of VO$_{2}$ enables the amplitude of the AT to be dynamically tailored. The transmission coefficient $|T_{yx}|$ can be adjusted from 0.756 to nearly 0 by modifying the conductivity of VO$_{2}$. Meanwhile, the AT parameter intensity of linearly polarized incidence can be actively controlled from 0.55 to almost 0, leading to a switch for AT. When VO$_{2}$ is in its insulator state, the proposed device achieves broadband AT parameter greater than 0.5 from 1.21 THz to 1.80 THz with a bandwidth of 0.59 THz. When the incident wave propagates along the backward ($-z$) direction, the cross-polarized transmission $|T_{yx}|$ reaches a peak value 0.756 at 1.32 THz, whereas the value of $|T_{xy}|$ well below 0.157 in the concerned frequency. On the other hand, the co-polarized transmission $|T_{xx}|$ and $|T_{yy}|$ remained equal in the whole frequency range. This work provides a novel approach in developing broadband, tunable, as well as switchable AT electromagnetic devices.     

Ultra-broad band and dual-band highly efficient polarization conversion based on the three-layered chiral structure

In the paper, a novel three-layered chiral structure is proposed and investigated, which consists of a split-ring resonator sandwiched between two layers of sub-wavelength gratings. This designed structure can achieve simultaneously asymmetric transmission with an extremely broad bandwidth and high amplitude as well as multi-band 90° polarization rotator with very low dispersion. Numerical simulations adopted two kinds of softwares with different algorithms demonstrate that asymmetric parameter can reach a maximum of 0.99 and over than 0.8 from 4.6 to 16.8 GHz, which exhibit magnitude and bandwidth improvement over previous chiral metamaterials in microwave bands (S, C, X and Ku bands). Specifically, the reason of high amplitude is analyzed in detail based on the Fabry-perot like resonance. Subsequently, the highly efficient polarization conversion with very low dispersion between two orthogonal linearly polarized waves is also analyzed by the optical activity and ellipticity. Finally, the electric fields are also investigated and further demonstrate the correctness of the simulated and calculated results.     

Tunable dual-band ferrite-based metamaterials with dual negative refractions

We report on three types of tunable dual-band metamaterial with dual negative refraction in this paper. The three types of metamaterial are composed of ferrite slabs and three different metallic resonators, including split-ring resonators (SRR), Ω-like resonators, and short wire pairs. The ferrite slabs under an applied magnetic bias provide one magnetic resonance frequency band and the three metallic resonators provide another magnetic resonance frequency band, respectively. The continuous wires within the metamaterials provide the negative permittivity in a wide frequency band covering the two magnetic resonance bands. We give the design, analysis and numerical demonstrations of three such types of metamaterial in detail. The effective electromagnetic parameters obtained from the simulated S-parameters indicate that the three types of metamaterial indeed exhibit two negative refraction passbands and the two passbands can also be shifted by changing the magnetic bias. Our results open the way to fabricate tunable dual-band metamaterial cloaks, absorbers, and antennas.     

一种基于旋转调谐的超材料

数值仿真研究了一种可调谐的双开口谐振环(DSRR)超材料.在平行入射的电磁波激励下,这种DSRR单元可以在不同的频段分别表现出磁谐振和电谐振.当外加电场E与DSRR的双开口平行时,DSRR受激励得到的磁谐振和电谐振强度最大.随着DSRR超材料沿外加磁场H方向顺时针旋转,其磁谐振和电谐振频率基本保持不变,但谐振强度均发生显著下降,同时对应透射相位的突变也逐渐降低.提出的超材料调谐方法只需要简单地旋转材料,而不需要改变原有超材料单元的结构或者增加额外的激励场,极大地简化了可调谐超材料的制备及应用,在电磁开关、相位调制等方面具有潜在的应用.同时,这种简单的方法有希望应用于更高频段的超材料调谐,可以有效地拓展太赫兹频段和光频段超材料的实际应用.     

Dual-band asymmetric transmission of linearly polarized wave using Π-shaped metamaterial

A bilayered chiral metamaterial with Π-shaped structure is proposed, which demonstrates to exhibit dual-band asymmetric transmission (AT) of linearly polarized electromagnetic (EM) waves in two opposite directions. Incident x-polarized wave is almost converted to y-polarized wave while incident y-polarized wave is locked through the Π-shaped slab at 10.82 GHz; incident y-polarized wave is almost converted to x-polarized wave while incident x-polarized wave cannot pass through the Π-shaped slab at 14.1 GHz. The property of the AT is similar to the diode-switching characteristics, and the EM wave can be switched on/off by changing the polarization state of the incident wave. The surface current distributions of the Π-shaped structure are discussed to look into the physical mechanism.     

电磁编码超材料的理论与应用

本文系统地对编码超材料、数字超材料及现场可编程超材料的新进展进行了综述,讨论其对电磁波的实时调控和构造多功能器件的能力。首先,引入1-bit编码超材料,由"0"和"1"两种编码单元构成,分别对应于相位相反的电磁响应。通过控制不同的"0"和"1"编码序列,可以调控电磁波,并实现不同功能。这种1-bit编码超材料可以扩展到2-bit,甚至更高比特。其次,介绍了一种由开关二极管来控制的数字编码超材料,每个编码单元可通过二极管的开和关来获得不同的相位响应,进而获得不同的数字态。结合现场可编程门阵列(FPGA)控制系统,实现了对数字超材料的实时可编程设计,构造出现场可编程超材料。最后,研究了编码超材料对太赫兹波的调控,包括太赫兹波宽带漫散射及其对目标雷达散射截面(RCS)的缩减、各向异性编码超材料对太赫兹波的极化调控和波束调控等。数值仿真和实验测试结果吻合很好,验证了编码超材料的出色性能,展示了编码超材料调控电磁波的多功能性。编码超材料对微波及太赫兹波的实时控制可用于制作波束分离、波束偏折、极化转换等功能器件,也可在宽带范围内有效缩减目标RCS。     

Propagation of polarized photons through a cavity with an anisotropic metamaterial

We present a theoretical study of the propagation properties of polarized photons passing through the cavity with an anisotropic metamaterial. We find that the resonant peaks of transmission appear for photons polarized in a certain direction corresponding to a negative element of the permittivity tensor. This indicates the potential for applying such cavity structures as filters for photons with certain polarizations. The resonant peak of transmission for photons having a given frequency can be achieved by adjusting the thicknesses of the air and metamaterial. If the frequency of the incident photons and the thickness of the metamaterial are fixed, the cavity structure can be used as a photon switch controlled by the thickness of the air. The effect of the absorption is considered, and the result shows that the transmission peak always appears, even for metamaterials with large absorption. Finally, the polarization manipulation of such structures is explored.     

A transparent metamaterial to manipulate electromagnetic wave polarizations

We design an anisotropic ultrathin metamaterial to allow perfect transmissions of electromagnetic (EM) waves for two incident polarizations within a common frequency interval. The transparencies are governed by different mechanisms, resulting in significant differences in transmission phase changes for two polarizations. The system can thus manipulate EM wave polarizations efficiently in transmission geometry, including polarization conversion and rotation. Microwave experiments performed on realistic samples are in excellent agreement with numerical simulations.     

人工异向介质调控电磁波极化特性的实验与仿真研究

电磁波的极化特性在通信、导航和雷达等方面已逐渐得到应用.为了有效控制电磁波的极化状态, 本文设计了一种基于开口环结构的人工异向介质.该人工异向介质由开口环结构,电介质基底和金属背板组成, 可以将入射的线性极化波完整地转换为圆极化波,椭圆极化波以及和入射波极化方向垂直的线极化波. 本文通过实验和仿真验证了本文的设计,实验结果和仿真结果符合较好.     

Coherent photogalvanic valley Hall effect

The theory of the coherent photogalvanic valley Hall effect in two-dimensional systems with the Dirac spectrum of charge carriers is formulated. The study deals with a two-dimensional sample irradiated by two electromagnetic waves, at the fundamental and doubled frequencies. Both frequencies exceed the band gap of the material, whereas the wave with the fundamental frequency having circular polarization and a high intensity is taken into account in a nonperturbative manner. The wave at the doubled frequency is linearly polarized and the electrical conductivity of the two-dimensional system is calculated with respect to it. The effect under study manifests itself as the dc Hall current in the direction orthogonal to the electric field of the weak electromagnetic wave. It is assumed that, in equilibrium, the sample is in the insulating state with the completely occupied valence band and empty conduction band. The strong electromagnetic wave induces a nonequilibrium filling of the bands and the system passes to a strongly nonequilibrium steady state. The behavior of the Hall current in the case of nonequilibrium distribution functions is analyzed both including and disregarding the intraband relaxation and interband recombination.     

Metamaterial polarization converter analysis: limits of performance

In this paper, we analyze the theoretical limits of a metamaterial-based converter with orthogonal linear eigenpolarizations that allow linear-to-elliptical polarization transformation with any desired ellipticity and ellipse orientation. We employ the transmission line approach providing a needed level of the design generalization. Our analysis reveals that the maximal conversion efficiency for transmission through a single metamaterial layer is 50 %, while the realistic reflection configuration can give the conversion efficiency up to 90 %. We show that a double layer transmission converter and a single layer with a ground plane can have 100 % polarization conversion efficiency. We tested our conclusions numerically reaching the designated limits of efficiency using a simple metamaterial design. Our general analysis provides useful guidelines for the metamaterial polarization converter design for virtually any frequency range of the electromagnetic waves.     

Design and experimental verification of a dual-band metamaterial filter

In this paper, we present the design, simulation, and experimental verification of a dual-band free-standing metamaterial filter operating in a frequency range of 1 THz–30 THz. The proposed structure consists of periodically arranged composite air holes, and exhibits two broad and flat transmission bands. To clarify the effects of the structural parameters on both resonant transmission bands, three sets of experiments are performed. The first resonant transmission band shows a shift towards higher frequency when the side width w_1 of the main air hole is increased. In contrast, the second resonant transmission band displays a shift towards lower frequency when the side width w_2 of the sub-holes is increased, while the first resonant transmission band is unchanged. The measured results indicate that these resonant bands can be modulated individually by simply optimizing the relevant structural parameters(w_1 or w_2) for the required band. In addition, these resonant bands merge into a single resonant band with a bandwidth of 7.7 THz when w_1 and w_2 are optimized simultaneously. The structure proposed in this paper adopts different resonant mechanisms for transmission at different frequencies and thus offers a method to achieve a dual-band and low-loss filter.     

Left-handed-media simulation and transmission of EM waves in subwavelength split-ring-resonator-loaded metallic waveguides

At microwave frequencies, hollow metallic waveguides behave in certain aspects as a "one-dimensional plasma." This feature will be advantageously used for simulating the propagation of electromagnetic (EM) waves in left-handed metamaterials provided the hollow waveguide is periodically loaded with split ring resonators. It will be shown that EM transmission in this structure is feasible within a certain frequency band even if the transverse dimensions of the waveguide are much smaller than the associated free-space wavelength. This effect can be qualitatively and quantitatively explained by the left-handed metamaterial theory, thus providing a new experimental validation for such a theory.